Come Back To Earth
by doexeyes
Summary: The unexpected murder of a well known resident shakes up the town of Riverdale and Jughead Jones has become obsessed with finding out who did it and why. It also doesn't help that he's being haunted by their ghost who keeps telling him that his time to solve the mystery is running out.
1. 20 questions

So, funny story about this; I actually wrote this story (well, this first chapter at least) about a year and a half ago but never intended on publishing it anywhere. Things changed though 'cause here I am now. Please note though that because of that, things are very outdated. Like for instance, I am aware that Archie's dad has passed (rip Luke Perry, he seemed like such a kind soul), but I love Fred Andrews and since I wrote this with him being alive still, well...I'ma keep him alive. I hope that's not offensive in anyway, as I don't mean to be. With that, be aware that this takes place in kind of an alternate universe. The events of season 1 occurred, except Betty isn't with Jughead and Archie isn't with Veronica, (dating wise at least). Anything after season 1 has not happened, (especially not that black mask & gargoyle king mess. I'm sorry, but...no). In my hc universe, I like to think that they spent a good chunk of like the first season just getting to know each other and being friends and such (maybe flirting and stuff like that, but no 'hey all of sudden we a thing', ya know) and like yeah I just wanna explain that to be clear before anyone is confused about where this takes place. I probably did not do a good job at explaining but I tried :p

Okie dokie, with that, let's just get to it. (long notes like these will not be a regular occurrence 'cause I'm sure no one wants that lol)

* * *

**Chapter 1: 20 Questions**

The setting was Riverdale.

A seemingly quiet town that was slowly unraveling all its hidden secrets as each day passed and every hour ticked. Just this past year alone was chock full of scandals to last hushed conversations between townsfolk for a lifetime.

The night was like any other, and for our four main characters, it was being spent on the red leather booths of Pop's as they embraced the familiarity and warmth of the place they've adopted as their own. It was their safe haven from the drama and mysteries of the town, and on a cold night like this, just mere days from Christmas, it was what they all severely needed.

"My mom's coming into town. She wants to spend Christmas together as a _'family',_" the red headed boy, Archie Andrews, spoke, leaning back into his seat.

He was the town's golden boy. Good at everything, bad at nothing. Except maybe if it involved common sense or needing to be selfish. He had a good heart, a dangerous thing to have in Riverdale, but besides the occasional situations he was forced int, he was a typical all American boy. Or as much as you could be in a place like this.

"Isn't that like..kinda weird. You know, seeming as your folks are _divorced_?" Jughead Jones, a raven haired boy sitting across from him stated as he munched away at his burger.

There was no point in trying to describe the Jones boy. His most defining feature was a rather odd looking gray beanie that for someone reason always adorned his head. And he was 'weird'. That was about it if you asked any of the town's residents. It was your choice to believe them or not, though.

A pretty blonde by the name of Betty Cooper sat beside him, lightly hitting his shoulder.

At first glance, she seemed like your typical girl next door. Attractive, kind, soft spoken. If you looked into her eyes though, really looked, you could see she was hiding something drastically different to her girl next door persona. Dark, almost. Yet, she tried her best to keep it locked away, and at the end of the day she was as good and honest as any person in Riverdale could be.

In truth, a town this fucked up was undeserving of a Betty.

"I think that's good, Arch. I mean...at least you get to see your mom," she said, offering him a sympathetic smile.

Archie nodded, a small smile of gratitude breaking out before turning to look at the dark haired beauty next to him.

Veronica Lodge. The girl was a mystery the day she rolled into Riverdale, capturing the attention of many of its residents, and as time has passed, she knew first hand what kind of secrets the town had kept hidden in its shadows. Her family being one of them.

"You okay there, Ronnie? You've barely touched your shake," Archie asked, slightly concerned.

At the sound of his voice, she seemed to break out of whatever trance she was in, and shook her head.

"My bad, I was just thinking about the amazing presents I got for each of you. You're gonna be writing me thank you cards till next Christmas," she stated with a smile.

"But are you gonna finish that, or?" Jughead questioned with a raised brow, using a finger to point towards the direction of her untouched milkshake.

Veronica rolled her eyes and pulled the glass towards her.

"You shouldn't ask questions you know the answer to, Jones. Passing up one of Pop's chocolate shakes would be a crime, and I'm no criminal," she stated as she took a sip.

"Criminal. Right. Sorry, wrong Lodge," Jughead replied as he took a mouth full of his burger.

Veronica's eyes widened as she nearly chocked mid sip.

"Hey, not cool man," stated a disapproving Archie.

"Yeah Jug, what was that for?" Betty piped along, furrowing her brows at him.

"Relax, it was a joke. Tough crowd."

"Yeah, we'll it's gonna be even tougher if you don't refrain from making 'jokes' about my father. I get it, Okay. He's evil incarnate. I have to live with that everyday. One of the main reasons why I like hanging out here at Pop's is so I can forget that little detail. But, thanks to you, Donnie Darko, I understand that there's no hope in escaping it. Good luck with your comedy act by the way. Hope Netflix is desperate enough to give you a special," the brunette stated, her tone bitter as she slid the shake over to Jughead who sat across from her.

The air was now tense and everyone could feel it. Betty and Archie exchanged gazes before the blonde decided to try to break the tension.

"Hey, so...I was thinking maybe we can go to the drive in tonight? I think they're playing White Christmas for the holidays," she suggested, switching her gaze from Jughead to Veronica.

Both dark haired teens refused to look up, Jughead concentrated on his burger and Veronica staring holes at the table.

Archie cleared his throat, giving Betty a sympathetic smile. "I think maybe we should call it a night. I gotta go home to walk Vegas. It's cold outside & I don't want my dad walking him in this weather."

"Oh, okay," Betty said, her tone showing off her disappointment.

Taking one last look at both Veronica & Jughead, her eyes widened slightly as an idea popped into her head.

"Actually, do you mind taking me home? I just remembered I have some homework to do."

Jughead looked up from his plate, now only left with crumbs, and frowned.

"We're in winter break, Betty."

The ponytailed girl shook her head and let out a nervous laugh.

"Right. It's just to get a head start on my winter reading list. Gotta have two 4 paged reports fully typed and I want to get that done as soon as possible."

She looked directly at Archie, giving him a pleading look that she hoped only he saw.

Archie, getting the message, nodded and proceeded to slide out of the booth. "Of course. See you guys tomorrow."

Betty quickly followed suit, hurriedly walking out before either one could protest.

There was a moment of silence before Jughead spoke.

"We got ditched, didn't we?"

Veronica, not looking up, nodded. "We got ditched." With a sigh, she straightened herself up and looked towards Jughead. "I think perhaps they believe that leaving us alone will drive us to actually have a proper, civil conversation with each other."

Jughead rolled his eyes, grabbing a napkin from across the table. "Aren't they adorable," he said, his annoyance evident.

Veronica sighed. "In all honesty though, Jug, I don't hate you. In fact I consider you a loyal friend. By no means do I think we're close, but...you're a good guy and I admire your skill at witty banter. I would like it as well if we could get to know each other a bit more. Actually become real friends? Not just..."

"Frenemies? Come on Veronica, we're not 12," he said with another roll of his eyes.

"Which is exactly why we need to move past just opening our mouths to insult one another. Work with me, Jug. If not for me, then do it for Archie, for Betty. You know they'll eventually get tired of their two best friends always having it out for each other."

There was only silence on Jughead's end, which prompted Veronica to reach over and rest a hand on his arm.

"Plus, it's the holidays. Peace and joy and all that good stuff."

Jughead chuckled lightly at this before moving his arm away. "Yeah, well us being civil with one another will surely be a Christmas miracle."

Veronica smiled at this. "That's the spirit, Jones. Now, how about we play an old fashioned game of 20 questions?"

Jughead thought about it silently before taking a long sip of the milkshake Veronica slid over to him, finishing it all off in one go.

"Fine. But you owe me another milkshake."

Veronica grimaced, yet an amused smile slipped out. "You are barbaric, Jones."

* * *

"Favorite film?" Jughead asked.

"Hmmm," the ravin haired girl played with the spoon in her cup of coffee, biting her lip in thought. "Taxi Driver."

Jughead nearly spat out his shake. "Bullshit. You? Liking Taxi Driver? I can't even picture you watching it."

Veronica lightly slapped Jughead in the arm.

"As a matter of fact, I have. Several times. I'm a fan of character pieces and despite the gruesome mess it ends up being at the end, it's a movie I enjoy. Very much."

Jughead chuckled, nodding. "Alright. Alright. I actually think that's pretty cool. It's on my list of personal favorites. I'm just surprised you didn't say 'Mean girls' or something basic like I expected you would."

This earned him a not so playful slap on his shoulder.

* * *

"Favorite book?"

"These questions don't work with me princess. I don't have a 'favorite anything," Jughead admitted.

Veronica rolled her eyes at this. "You're such a pretentious asshat, you know that, right? Fine. What's one book you _enjoy_ reading?"

"Hmm...Catcher in The Rye."

The girl shook her head at this. "Gosh Jones you're such a cliche."

"What are you talking about?" he asked, raising a brow in amusement.

"You're a walking troupe for every indie film character ever. Catcher in The Rye? I bet you read it while smoking a Malboro red."

"For your information Lodge, I don't smoke."

She quirked a brow at this, unconvinced.

"...Not Malboro reds anyways," he added.

* * *

"Okay, speed round, same time" Veronica stated, leaning closer to the table. Jughead watched her, a smirk forming.

"Hit me."

"Okay, favorite food. 1, 2..."

"Burgers."

"Sushi."

Veronica shook her head. "Of course you're a fan of the greasiest meal in America."

"And you willingly choose to shove raw fish in your mouth. And you say I'm the one with questionable taste," he retorted, arms crossed. "Favorite song."

"Don't fear the Reaper."

"Don't have one."

Jughead's eyes widened at this. "You don't have a favorite song?"

"No? There's like a billion songs and you hear so many during your whole lifetime. Don't get me wrong, I like many, but I don't think I can just select one as a favorite. Plus, weren't you the one who stated that you didn't have a favorite 'anything'," she said right back, a brow raised.

Jughead looks almost stunned for a moment, eyes fully on her, before shaking his head. "Lodge, and I say this with total honesty and with zero intent to insult, but you are unlike anybody I've ever met," he said, a small but genuine smile on his face.

Knowing very well that it was more of an honor to surprise the Jughead Jones than anything else, the girl returned the smile, and if any unknowing passerby were to spot them, they would think they were rather fond of each other.

For a moment, it felt like they had always been like this. Like they had a bond that rivaled that of a friendship of years. It was magnetic & immediate & individually they wondered why the hell did they waste so much time at each other's throats.

They then proceeded to talk about another hang out. Tomorrow they would meet up for coffee back at Pop's & then head to the theatre to watch an indie film that Jughead was convinced Veronica would enjoy more than Archie. He knew Arch would appreciate a break from being dragged to movies he had no particular interest in anyways.

Veronica seemed into it, excited almost. She was engaged in their conversations, laughing and smiling. And not one of those famous 'Veronica Lodge' smiles, but rather a real one. A rarity to Jughead, but one that he couldnt wait to see again. It was a moment they both were enjoying very much.

The moment however, was disturbed by the ringing of Veronica Lodge's phone.

"I'm sorry, I gotta take this."

He wish he knew what the phone call was.

"Hey, how's everything?"

He wish he wasn't so deep into his thoughts so that he could've heard what she was saying to the person on the other end.

"Guess that's my cue to go. Sorry. We're still on to meet here tomorrow morning right?"

He was so wrapped up in this feeling & his thoughts of tomorrow that he didn't think about offering to walk her home. He would see her tomorrow, it was fine, and she had gone home by herself many times when the four of them would hang out.

"Yeah, if you don't decide to ditch me that is," he teased.

He watched her leave, almost in slow motion, black hair swaying, her typical brand named heels clicking with every step. He watched her at the door, flashing him a smile & giving him a little wave before pushing it open, a soft ding signaling her departure.

He watched her, not knowing that it was the last time he would see Veronica Lodge.

Alive.


	2. Midwinter Madness

Thank you so so much to the person that left that review, really I wasn't expecting to have anyone even read this so thank you :') And also to those that took the time to check this story out. It means a lot. Anyways, let's get on with this shit show shall we :)

* * *

**Chapter 2: Midwinter Madness **

The morning began like any other in Riverdale.

That was, until shit hit the fan.

Betty had sent a text to Veronica that night, checking in on her to see if everything with Jughead turned out okay and if she was mad at her for ditching. She didn't think anything of it when she didn't respond, assuming she had gone straight to bed because the message hadn't been opened. She went to sleep right after, and woke up to the rapid knocking of her mother the next morning. She groaned loudly and dragged herself to the door, opening it wide with a frown, mouth ready to snap. However, the look on her mom's face kept the words from coming out.

She fell down to her knees, her body giving in from the stress of the news, but her expression remained blank. The sound of her own name from her mother next to her sounded distant and far away & there was an awful ringing in her ear. She passed out shortly after and Alice Cooper panicked as she tried to get her daughter to become responsive again.

Archie was walking Vegas that early morning. He was a making a mental note of everything he had to get done before his mother arrived the next morning. He definitely needed to clean his room, which he was well aware was a huge mess and his mom would not approve. He wanted to do his best to make the visit go as smooth as possible as a part of him still had a bit of hope that his parents would get back together.

A police car had sped past them just then, sirens blaring & lights flashing. Vegas' ears perked up and he began to bark, causing Archie to grip the leash tighter.

"What the hell's going on," he commented to himself, his phone vibrating in his pocket as if one cue.

Kevin Keller.

Picking the phone up with furrowed brows (although they got along, Kevin calling him wasn't a regular occurrence) he pressed it against his ear, still gripping the leash and trying to calm Vegas down.

"Shh, calm down boy. Hello? Kev?"

He told him his dad, Sheriff Keller, had been called to the scene, which Archie assumed was the one driving the speeding cop car that had passed by a few seconds ago.

He said that they had found something. Something alarming.

"A body, Archie."

He admitted that he couldn't confirm who it was yet, but they had every reason to believe that the body they found near Pop's was someone they knew very well.

"I'm so sorry."

Archie dropped his phone to the ground.

He stood there, frozen, as Vegas continued to bark at the spot where the cop car had passed.

The way Jughead found out was possibly the worst of them all. He was waiting for Veronica at Pop's, where they had agreed to grab a cup of coffee before heading out to the movies. When 30 minutes passed and he hadn't heard from her or seen her step in, he assumed she thought the plan through and decided she wasn't going to go through with it.

"Guess I was right about you ditching..." he muttered under his breath.

Did he blame her? Not really. People didn't surprise Jughead very often, and this was something he expected the actual Veronica Lodge he knew to do. The Veronica from last night was just trying to make peace with him for the sake of their two friends. He was sure now that the smile he saw was nothing more than another mask created for the occasion. She had an extensive collection of poker faces & award winning smiles ready at her disposal.

As he stepped out of the diner, hands in his pockets, he was greeted with the teeth chattering winter air, as well as the view of several police cars in front.

The rest felt like he was watching the scene through some kind of lens. One that made you see things like the pages of a book being flipped through rapidly. Everything felt choppy and quick and surreal.

He approached Sheriff Keller who was the one he immediately recognized. He asked what happened. Asked why there was so many of them.

There were so many cars. So many cops. Some were writing things down, other's talking to a walkie, another even looking distressed with his fingers resting on his temple. There was also an ambulance parked, joining the chorus of lights of the cop cars around it. If he it wasn't such a hectic scene, Jughead would describe it as chaotically beautiful. It was snowing at the moment, and the red and blue lights lit up the snow beneath them.

Sheriff Keller looked at Jughead like he was trying to figure out how to answer him. The look he gave him prompting a sick, sinking feeling to hit the pit of Jughead's stomach.

He never got to hear what the Sheriff was going to say though, because right at that moment, two paramedics passed right by them with a stretcher. Jughead's eyes immediately locked on the body he knew was on it, a blanket draped over it to hide their identity. What they had forgotten to do, however, was pay attention to the hair sneaking out of the cover. The dark, raven hair that he knew all too well.

The dark raven hair that unmistakably belonged to Veronica Lodge.

* * *

The news of the death of Veronica Lodge spread throughout the town like wildfire.

Some were heartbroken; Veronica Lodge was not a Riverdale native, but she grew into becoming a core piece of the town. Everyone knew who she was just like they knew who anybody else was. She walked the halls of Riverdale High, she ate at Pop's, and she was always present at every big event.

Some were not surprised; She was a Lodge. She had a metaphorical target pinned to the back of her Chanel dress every time she walked out of the doors of the Pembroke. Something was bound to happen. The Lodge family weren't saints and they had enemies.

Everyone, however, was suspicious; Who could have done this? Who was capable of killing, not only a teen resident of the town, but the daughter of the infamous Hiram Lodge? And what was their motive?

Jughead spent the first three days after her body had been found with those thoughts consuming his head. Every hour awake was spent obsessing over what the possible answers could be. It also didn't help that he spent every hour awake.

The bags under his eyes grew darker and heavier with every hour he deprived himself of sleep. He started drinking. Smoking. Anything to keep his eyes from shutting for the tiniest second because every time he would close them, they'd replay that scene over and over again in his head; When Veronica stood at the door of Pop's, turning to give him a little wave, the door giving that little ding as she walked right out. The memory mocked him. It twisted his gut and kicked him down till he was curled up in a ball, hands pressed against his ears to keep that horrific ringing of the bell out of his head.

He could have stopped her. He could have offered to walk her home. He could have maybe asked a question, one more question in that stupid game of her's and that could have bought her time. He could've done them all. But he didn't. Not one. And now she was dead.

It hit everyone like a ton of bricks. Betty had refused to come out of her room. She was constantly bundled up in a blanket, staring at the walls, her head, usually swimming around with worries and ideas and questions and thoughts, completely empty. She felt empty.

Archie had snapped in an entirely different way. Hitting his punching bag till his fists were red and his calluses would burst. He ran around the neighborhood, early in the morning, till his knees gave in from the intensity and pressure. He wanted to feel exhausted. He wanted to wear his body down so all he could focus on was the pain of his body screaming at him to stop. It was the only thing that made him forget that she had just died.

Despite it though, Archie made sure to visit Betty, both of them keeping each other company through the ordeal. They had called Jughead. Texted him. But he never responded. He didn't have time to sit and cry and grieve. No one knew who killed Veronica Lodge. No one could even think of why. He couldn't _sitandcryandgrieve_ without figuring that out for himself.

FP was concerned about his son, but he was never the best at talking. What was he going to say to him anyways? 'Knock it off, you're gonna kill yourself if you keep acting like this?' Well, he did, but that didn't change anything.

Jughead was aware that what he was doing was unhealthy and most likely going to drive him to insanity. But there was no textbook way of how one should react after someone they know unexpectedly dies. At least, not realistically. He told himself that figuring out who did it and why would be the only way he could accept what had happened and move on. But, as of right now, in his dingy, small room, with all his dirty clothes on the floor and his sheets thrown off the bed and his desk littered with paper balls and cigarette ashes, he was going to solve the murder of Veronica Lodge, even if it was the last thing he did.

He hovered over his desk, lit up cigarette in his mouth, shirt missing, and his beanie holding onto the top of his head for dear life. He grabbed the cigarette between his fingers and tapped it lightly, making the ash fall onto his makeshift ash tray of crumpled up papers, brows furrowed as he focused on the screen of his laptop.

He had 3 tabs opened up. Each with 3 different social media sites. All belonging to Veronica Lodge.

Twitter, instagram, and facebook. He found out by just a few scrolls however, that Veronica hadn't used her Facebook since a year and a half ago, probably because, in social circles unknown to Jughead, it had grown out of date. Clicking the 'x' on that tab, he began to review Veronica's tweets, focusing mostly on the ones dated from a week to her murder 3 days ago.

He was reading through them, hoping for a clue of some kind. A tiny red flag. Heck, a red spot even. Somewhere, anywhere within the spaces of her talking about the bachelor or how much she loves the chocolate shakes at Pops or even in her retweet of a cute cat video.

Wait.

Who did she retweet that from?

Were they a Riverdale resident?

His eyes squinted, the light of the laptop burning his tired eyes.

He's been forgetting to blink.

Upon research, he labels this one lead as cold as the person does indeed not go to Riverdale. Just another one of those influencer accounts.

He throws his head back, pinching the cigarette tight between his fingers and placing it back in his mouth. He takes a deep inhale, mentally counting how long he can keep it in, before exhaling slowing, a cloud of smoke releasing from his mouth. He coughs slightly, shaking his head, before a sound causes him to stiffen. He turns around, expecting it to be his dad, but sees no one. Instead, one of his books had fallen from the top of his drawer near the door. If he wasn't so exhausted and high off the nicotine he would've probably wondered how it fell by itself, but he doesn't give a damn at the moment. When he turns back to his laptop, he see's it's been shut.

He doesn't remember closing it. He doesn't even recall hearing it close.

This one's a little more weird but he's probably just delusional from the 72 hours of no sleep so he ignores it and opens his laptop up once more, scrolling through more tweets about movies and gender equality and shoes.

What happens next, however, is something he's incapable of ignoring.

"I thought you said you didn't smoke Marlboro Reds, Torombolo."

Everything in Jughead went cold at the sentence.

That voice. He knew that voice. That voice tortured his head constantly for the past 72 hours with the promise of a tomorrow that never came. That voice he last heard walking out of Pop's 3 nights ago.

He turned around, slowly this time.

There she was, Veronica Lodge, sitting at the edge of his bed, legs crossed and her trademark smirk gracing her painted red lips.

"Missed me?"

—


End file.
